Albatross

Many albatross species are in trouble and need our help. Commercial fishing practices are considered the greatest threat to the survival of many albatross species. Other threats include loss of habitat, introduced predators, eating or becoming tangled up in plastic, oil spills and climate change.

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Black-browed albatross (Diomedea / Thalassarche melanophrys) with chick on nest, part of a large colony, Steeple Jason, Falkland Islands.

How many

Most legendary of all birds

Albatrosses are large flying birds that spend most of their life on the sea.

Albatrosses belong to the family Diomedeidae. There are 22 albatross species recognised by IUCN. These are divided in 4 Genera:

Diomedea (Great albatrosses)

Thalassarche (Mollymawks)

Phoebastria (North Pacific albatrosses)

Phoebetria (Sooty albatrosses)

Albatrosses use their morphologically adapted wings and large wingspans to travel long distances without using muscles. Instead of flapping the wings, they use specialised gliding techniques to minimise the use of muscles and energy.

The wingspans of Wandering albatrosses can reach up to 3.5 metres (11 ft). This is the largest wingspan of any bird.

An albatross can live up to 60 years and in that life time it would have travelled millions of kilometres.

They attain sexual maturity at around 5 years but usually breed when they are 7 - 10 years old.

Where do you find albatross?

Most albatrosses are found in the Southern Hemisphere: Antarctica, Australia, South Africa, South America.

Only 3 albatross species are found exclusively in the North Pacific (Hawaii, Japan, California and Alaska): the Short-tailed albatross, Black-footed albatross and Laysan albatross.

Waved albatross is an exception that breeds in the equatorial Galapagos Islands and feeds in the South American coast.

What do albatross eat?

Different species of albatrosses have different dietary habits, but like other seabirds they rely almost entirely on seafood. They would feed on:

Squids, octopus and other cephalopods

Krill, crabs, shrimps, lobsters and other crustaceans

Fish

In tough times, they can also feed on carrion and zooplanktons

They prey by snapping up food that comes up to the surface of the sea. However, albatrosses can also dive into the water. Some albatross species can dive well below 5 metres deep to get to their food.

What are the main threats to albatross?

Bycatch poses the biggest threat to almost all albatross species. They dive for the fish bait used on longline fishing before it sinks into the sea, get entangled on the hook and drown.

Albatrosses breed on remote islands forming large colonies. However, such spaces are reducing due to the impact of invasive species. Rats prey on the eggs in albatross nests and rabbits can quickly destroy a nesting area with their burrows. Read more about the impact of invasive species on Macquarie Island, a World Heritage Site in the Southern Ocean.

Albatross chicks choke on our waste. Every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks on the Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean die because they choke or are poisoned by plastics and other human waste that their parents mistakenly feed to them. The work of photographer Chris Jordan chillingly illustrates the results of this plastic diet on albatross chicks (images may be disturbing).

The short-tailed albatross or Steller's albatross, (Phoebastria albatrus) was almost hunted to extinction due to the market for its feathers. It is now listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN's Red List.

Priority species

Albatrosses are a priority species. WWF treats priority species as one of the most ecologically, economically and/or culturally important species on our planet. And so we are working to ensure such species can live and thrive in their natural habitats.

Video

What is WWF doing?

To stop the further decline of seabird numbers including the albatross, WWF is part of the New Zealand based Southern Seabird Solutions, which unites fishers, industry, government and WWF in the common cause of saving seabirds by reducing incidence of bycatch.

After many years of close cooperation between WWF and the government of South Africa, the 4th largest marine protected area in the world was established in the Southern Ocean. The 180,000 square kilometre area is home to 5 species of albatross.

WWF also works to rid islands in the Southern Ocean of pests such as rats, rabbits, and mice.

Longline Fisheries in the Benguela Ecosystem for South Africa, Namibia and Angola

Spanish language factsheets give South American fishers valuable info on seabird-safe fishing practices. The materials are a joint effort between Southern Seabird Solutions Trust and Pro Delphinus, with support from WWF-New Zealand.